Topic Contents

Anthralin for Psoriasis

Examples

Anthralin comes as an ointment, a cream, or a stick. For short-term therapy, anthralin is applied to the skin or scalp
for 20 to 60 minutes once a day, then washed or shampooed off.

Treatment usually starts with a product that contains a small
amount of the medicine. The amount is increased every few days as long as
your symptoms are improving and you are not having side effects. If a
lower-dose product is used, it can be left on the skin longer (often overnight)
and washed off in the morning.

Anthralin can be used in combination with coal tar and ultraviolet
B (UVB) therapy (Ingram regimen). It can also be combined with corticosteroids
or calcipotriene.

How It Works

Anthralin limits the growth of skin cells.

Why It Is Used

Anthralin is used to treat large, scaly patches of
psoriasis on the arms, legs, or torso that have not
cleared up with other treatment.

How Well It Works

Used alone, anthralin can be effective over a period of a few
weeks.

Anthralin is likely to be effective in 2 to 3 weeks when combined
with ultraviolet (UV) light therapy (the Ingram regimen).1

Side Effects

Side effects of anthralin include:

Irritation and discoloration of the skin that
is not affected by psoriasis. (Take care to apply the product only to the skin
affected by psoriasis, not to normal skin.)

A purple-brown stain on
the skin. The discolored skin may go away within 3 weeks after you stop using
the drug.

A deep red-brown color of the skin, which develops from
the inflammation of psoriasis. It may take weeks or months to go
away.

Gray hair that turns pink when anthralin is used on the
scalp.

Newer forms of anthralin have made staining less of a
problem.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference
is not available in all systems.)

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